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  1. #1
    Moderator stucco's Avatar
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    plant growth using catfeesh

    i didn't get any where near the same plant growth using catfish than i did with tilapia. the water had a smell similar to the slime on the fish... even when i first added the cats to the 1100 gallon system as fry. i have no scientific backing this is just my redneck observation... catfish are funky and i will try and avoid them in the future.
    Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.-- Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
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  2. #2
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: plant growth using catfeesh

    Do you think they have less 'waste', per the amount of food they eat ?
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

  3. #3
    Moderator stucco's Avatar
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    Re: plant growth using catfeesh

    i think that it had to do with their slime coat but again I'm no scientist. things are great now with only tilapia but with winter coming I'm considering koi. i know when it comes time i won't be able to put a knife in a koi to see how they taste... big softie cant kill the purdy fish
    Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.-- Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
    Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought~fortune cookie

  4. #4
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    Re: plant growth using catfeesh

    That's an interesting observation. I'm not near the agri specialist or chemist to put "science" to work here. I have wondered though about growth rates of the vegetation based on species of fish in FT.

  5. #5
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: plant growth using catfeesh

    I haddn't noticed it....but then again, I have 'mixed' fish in the systems (cats and tilapia...or cats and blue gills)
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

  6. #6
    Moderator urbanfarmer's Avatar
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    Re: plant growth using catfeesh

    It could be anything, but I don't think it's the fish.

    What discoloration or deformities are you noticing on the plants? How are your water parameters such as ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? What's the pH? What's the temperature and sunlight like for the plants? What plants are you growing? etc, etc etc...

  7. #7
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: plant growth using catfeesh

    Quote Originally Posted by urbanfarmer
    It could be anything, but I don't think it's the fish.

    What discoloration or deformities are you noticing on the plants? How are your water parameters such as ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate? What's the pH? What's the temperature and sunlight like for the plants? What plants are you growing? etc, etc etc...
    Stucco, am I correct... is this your underground tank..?
    If it is that tank....

    'maybe' the concrete is effecting the water...?

    'maybe' you have more of a smell because the surface of the water, in the tank isn't exposed to as much air ?
    ( guessing there aren't too many breezes across the water's surface 'underground' )

    'maybe' the system's water doesn't have 'as high' an oxygen level as your 'other' systems ?
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

  8. #8
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    Re: plant growth using catfeesh

    what are you feeding the catfish as compared to what you're feeding the tilapia?
    tilapia seem to have a much higher metabolism to me, they grow fast so eat more.. and produce much more waste than any of my other fish.. might be worth looking up the digestive systems on the two fish..

  9. #9
    Moderator stucco's Avatar
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    Re: plant growth using catfeesh

    Ok, so here's the thing..
    For those of you who do not know me well, I have been doing this for long enough to know what parameters I should have with respect to the fish and the system itself. It wasn't so much a question that I posed, but rather a statement of facts which came about thru the process of raising catfish after raising what I consider to be a much cleaner fish- tilapia- for many years.
    1. Yes, this is my underground tank, however it is coated with a food grade potable water coating- so that is not a problem.
    2. Yes, I am feeding them the same type of products as when I only had tilapia, so no difference there.
    3. Yes, I pretty much grow similar items thru out the seasons just changing the variety, so there was no real change in that aspect.
    4. The tilapia had no change in growth or habit when they were present.
    5. The system is stationary so there is no change with regard to sunlight, etc.
    6. No, I do not believe they had less waste for the amount of food they ate- and Yes, they did eat a lot and grew faster than the talapia so there should not have been a shortage of food for the plants-
    However, my observation when there was only catfish was that there were some definite changes to the plants with respect to growth as well as production of fruit and the need for additional nutrients that had to be added over the norm we had set for the past 6+ years in growing talapia.
    The water in the system permeated the smell of catfish slime, though the water quality was always right on the mark. Even when the system was down to only 6 catfish when we were clearing it for the next batch of tilapia- the smell was still present.
    In addition to these observations, the flavor of catfish is just that- there is no change with water quality or food quality- while on the other hand we gladly eat our tilapia cevechi style any day of the week- the flavor is superb and nothing like that of market fish.
    Take it for what you will- I won't be growing catfish again if I can help it.
    Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.-- Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
    Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought~fortune cookie

  10. #10
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: plant growth using catfeesh

    Quote Originally Posted by stucco
    It wasn't so much a question that I posed, but rather a statement of facts which came about thru the process of raising catfish after raising what I consider to be a much cleaner fish- tilapia- for many years.
    1st...No disrespect was ment Stucco.
    Your statement raised questions with 'me', ( and probably some of the others)because I am raising cats with other fish.
    I'm helping a friend set up a small system. We were considering doing 'just' cats.... So naturally...I wanted to ask and 'learn' as much as I could of what you observed.

    At Sahib's, we have a (floating raft) system with 'just' cats. It's done 'kinda' OK.
    I never was too thrilled with the 'location'. The beds are under/near a tree. I just figured it was getting too much shade. Now, you have me going ...Hmmmm ?
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

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